Beyond Forever
by fictitiousburn
Summary: She knows that he can tell by the look in her eyes that she is confused, but she can tell by the look in his eyes that he's suggesting something far more transcendental than a lifetime of fighting their respective destinies. "You love me right now. So let me love you right now. We don't need forever." (Zuko/Katara)


**beyond forever,** an **all canon compliant** transcendental love story  
**warning:** mildly sexual situations

"Katara," he says, and she wishes her name was longer, that there were more syllables, that she could hear him say it again and again. "It's been so long. I've missed you." He pulls her into his body, landing against his broad chest, covered in smooth but surprisingly warm armor, and his arms envelop her. She is afloat in a sea of crimson, swatting at the material of his sleeves and clothing so she can peek up at his face. It's the same structurally. Sharp cheekbones, thin lips, angular features, reddened blemish across his eye. But it's different in a lot of ways, too. He smiles at her and it doesn't stop at his lips. His face softens and almost glows while his eyes brighten, widen, and start to make her feel warm, like his eyes are casting rays of sunshine on her.

He lets go or she pulls back, but either way she is scanning his chambers. They are organized and everything is kept meticulously, but there are several indicators that this is Zuko's bedroom and not just the Fire Lord's chambers. His dao hang on the wall, their blades shining against the candlelight as they are free from their sheath. The only document on his desk is a color portrait of his Uncle Iroh, curled at the edges and lying beside an old, antique looking frame that he hadn't quite gotten around to using. In the corner, a chair is littered with his formal robes, slung over the back and spilling over into the seat. When she turns to look at him, she notices that he has caught her glancing around the room. He grins sheepishly and she feels her heart leap into her throat.

"Sorry," he rubs the back of his neck, "Ignore all that stuff."

Her eyes float back to his and she hesitates for only a moment. She pushes her hands against his shoulders, lifts the heels of her feet off of the ground to balance on the tips of her toes, and presses her mouth against his. She can feel his shock beneath her and then he's kissing her back fiercely and she wants to melt in his arms but she isn't some lovesick teenager anymore. She's a woman and she is strong and no matter how hard he kisses her, she will _not_ let her knees buckle. But his lips are smooth and warm and she can feel things that there are no words for. Breathlessly, she stumbles back and rocks on her feet gently. She's afraid to look up at him but she forces herself to and is distracted by the gentle curve of his lips rather than the look in his eyes.

"I love you," she splutters as the words come out of her mouth and she leaps away from him as if he had burned her. His face is drawn in lines of confusion and Katara swallows the knot in her throat. She's in love with him and he _has_ to love her back. He kissed her back. He missed her while she was gone. He jumped in front of a lightning bolt for her. He _has_ to love her. If he didn't love her, then he was a fool. She consciously nods before ripping herself out of her thoughts to launch back into her diatribe.

"When the war ended, I left to travel with Aang. It was the right thing to do and he loved me and I loved him. I do love Aang, sort of the way that I love Toph. He's my best friend and I'd do anything for him. I love him so much and I owe him everything. But," her voice trembles as she starts to whisper, tilting her chin up towards him so her words are heard clearly, "I love you in a different way. In a way that Gran-Gran used to call 'the tides on the cliffs.' She used to tell me that my parents loved each other like the tides on the cliffs and I never understood it. I understand it now. I _feel _it now. It wears away at the sides of the cliffs and sculpts everything else around it. It's an undeniable truth that when you look at the cliffs, the arcs and the shapes are because of the way the tides move against it. The cliffs are affected and changed by the tides, whether or not someone is there to see it. All this time, I have been affected and changed by you, whether or not I saw it." She shifts nervously between her feet.

"Katara," he starts in a voice that is too hoarse and too high to belong to him, but she stops him.

"So, I love you, okay?" Her voice comes out in a frustrated and slightly desperate tone and she folds her arms across her chest. "Like the tides on the cliffs. Forever. And I will keep loving you…whether or not you see it." _Whether or not you love me back_ was what trailed behind it in her mind despite trying to stifle the idea. If he didn't love her, then he was a fool.

"Are you sure you want to love me forever?" His fingers trace the curve of her jaw and his thumb strokes her cheek gently. She knows that he can tell by the look in her eyes that she is confused, but she can tell by the look in his eyes that he's suggesting something far more transcendental than a lifetime of fighting their respective destinies. "You love me right now. So let me love you right now. We don't need forever."

Katara stares at him because she isn't sure that she understands what he's trying to say. What she does understand is that he is leaning down and then he's kissing her with that ferocity that he had unleashed before. Her arms wrap around him and she feels him pushing her back towards his bed. Katara swears to herself that she will remember every perfect moment of what is happening between them, but her mind only stores what her body registers, and her body only registers the heated touches between them. She is not innocent or inexperienced; Katara is an old enough woman to be aware of such pleasures, but the way that he kisses her and pulls at her clothes makes her feel shy to his touch and brand new to the things that he plans to do to her. When she is finally bare and naked beneath him, she starts to remember every gentle touch of his skin to hers. The way his palms spread a wild heat across her, like a single piece of parchment catching fire. Her breath hitches and shudders out in gasps as he runs his hands over her body, a simple action that sends her body reeling with pleasure. It seeps through every pore and she returns his touches feverishly, her hands flattening against him and feeling the warmth from his body. His lips are warm on her body, his skin is warm against her skin, he is warm inside of her, he is warm on top of her.

She is content with her head pressed against his warm, solid chest. She can hear his heart beating in even pulses against his chest. His eyes are closed but Katara knows he's still awake. But she doesn't disturb him, not yet, because she is thinking. She lays still and thinks while his heart works as a metronome against her thoughts. Gently, she reaches a finger out to prod him against his jaw slowly. His golden eyes snap open and fasten themselves steadily to hers. She stares back at him, the ghost of a smile playing at his lips as he watches her. His words come back to her mind and she can't help but think over them again. It's when she does think about his offer that she frowns, the realization settling deep in her bones slowly. Her reaction is abrupt nonetheless. She sits up, not bothering to cover herself as she scoots away from the firebender. Her face is a mix of horror and hurt and much to her surprise, his eyes follow her own and maintain contact.

"You," her voice trembles in a familiar whisper, "right now? You don't _want_ to love me forever." Saying the words out loud causes her to swear under her breath as tears pool in her eyes. She can't believe herself. She pushes back the feelings of uselessness and loathing because she doesn't want to give him that satisfaction. She gets out of bed and hunts around for her clothing. Tears obscure her vision and she doesn't bother to wipe them away as she pulls her clothes on hastily. It isn't until she pulls her robe together and begins to shrug it over her shoulders that she feels his heated hand against her shoulder. The simple touch draws her back into the memories that are still fresh from moments before and she whips around angrily.

In spite of their prior activities, the fact that he is standing in front of her naked causes an embarrassed red blush to color her cheeks. His hand grazes her cheek and wipes the errant tears. "You know, there is no forever for us." She knows it's true but it doesn't make the words sting or hurt any less. She fidgets under the unrelenting gold of his gaze before pulling away from his hand. Deep down, she knew that. She had come to the palace with Aang, after all. But part of her had reconciled with the idea of going against her fate, against what people had thought she was going to do, just to be with him. "There's only right now. That's all we have, Katara. If we meet again and our paths properly cross, then it will be right now then. If we want that."

She wants to pretend that she doesn't understand the complications of his words, but she does. She knew he was right but she hates that he had to be right about this. She lunges forward, her head hitting his chest solidly and her tears flowing again. She wraps her arms around him, her nails digging uncomfortably into his back. How could he just look so unaffected and talk so casually? She was hurting and she couldn't see that he was hurting with her, so she wanted to inflict hurt onto him. She needs to know that he was in at least a fraction of the pain that she was in herself. Her nails press deeper into his back and she cries against his warm, bare chest. She can feel his hands in her hair, gently brushing the brown strands and whispering against the top of her head. She can't make out any of his words through her tears but she knows they're not meant to be understood, just meant to soothe.

She holds onto him tightly because she doesn't want to let go of this yet. So he doesn't make her.

* * *

The palace isn't unfamiliar territory to the waterbender and airbender couple. It is, however, new territory to their children. Kya, the four-year-old, was perched on her father's shoulders, amusing herself by leaning her tiny head forward and splaying her brown curls on her father's bald head. Bumi, who had only learned how to walk a week ago, was ahead of his parents running around in circles despite being urged by Katara not to. He pauses for a moment to look back at his mother before continuing to run around in circles. It is when he stops and sways back and forth that she leaps forward to catch and cradle him in her arms before he hits the floor in a dizzy spell. He grins up at her and she gives him a scrutinizing look, like he's about to do something bad.

Katara curses her mother's intuition when Bumi grabs a handful of her hair and yanks it with the brute strength that any child at 'terrible two' possesses. A string of yelling and curses fly out of her mouth and Aang's voice behind her chides her sternly. It is the voice that comes from the other side of her that startles her.

"That's really colorful language for the children."

She shouldn't be surprised since she is in the Fire Nation Royal Palace, but her eyes drift to Zuko. He is standing a few feet away, leaning in the archway with his arms crossed over his chest and a small grin dancing at his lips. His hair is half tied in a topknot while the rest falls past his shoulders. The Fire Lord headpiece is pin-straight at the top of his head but he is dressed in a casual red and gold tunic, red pants, and the black and gold boots that marked their younger years. She can't help the feeling of nostalgia that washes over her but she shakes it loose. Katara rolls her eyes before she carries Bumi forward, following him through the archway and around a hallway path.

When they arrive at the destination, Katara thinks it is an Infirmary, with the exception that all of the beds that appear to have been taking up space are missing. He heads towards the one bed in the room, thick, white curtains drawn around it and voices talking over one another behind it. He starts to open it before taking a great pause.

"You should probably entertain the children elsewhere. One of my servants can show the children to the nursery, if you like." Katara watches him look between the two adults. She sees Kya sit up straight at the idea of a nursery and the withering glare that Katara casts down to Bumi goes unnoticed by the blissfully hyperactive two-year-old.

"Thanks, Zuko," Aang speaks before Katara can with a light and energetic voice, "I can take them! You should stay here." His voice trails off sheepishly and with a grin, Katara remembers where he was exactly when Kya and Bumi had been born.

She leans to plant a sloppy kiss on Bumi's forehead, listening to him cackle and fuss over the affection before she hands him to Aang. "Yeah, it's better that you don't crack the floors in here." She watches Kya lace her hands around her father's head and Bumi bounce in his arms before they walk down the hallway and back the way that they came. Katara frowns to herself as she turns to Zuko and heads through the curtain.

Everything is buzzing with noise. There are a team of healers and a woman lying in the bed unconscious. One healer is leaning over her and frowning at the ragged breaths escaping her lips and two healers are poised at her feet, holding them up and in place as the bed is inclined. Zuko moves over towards one side and as Katara follows, she sees the crowning head of a child and a still, silent face. When she looks up, gold meets blue, and he doesn't have to open his mouth to ask the question. _Can you help?_ Katara isn't sure that she can, but she feels tears welling up in her eyes as she draws water from a nearby basin to cover her palms. She reaches gently and places her hand over the infant's nose and mouth, her fingers tingling. After a moment, an oddly colored secretion comes from the infant's mouth and rests in the water over her hands. She pulls her hands away, forming the small globe around the liquid and drops it back into the basin as loud wailing is heard in the room. All the healers except one glance at Katara with a face full of relief and the other has their ear tilted towards the mother's mouth with an immovable frown etched onto their face.

She looks up but Zuko is gone. She ducks out of the curtains and walks back into the hallway, but he isn't there. She lets out a noisy sigh before walking back to the archway where they came. She can see him standing there, leaning against the threshold as he had been before, but the slump of his posture and gentle shaking of his shoulders tells her that he is not smirking. Her hand on his shoulders causes him to jump and his hands fly to his face before she can see the tears. She doesn't have to see them to know that he's crying, but she stands behind him until he is ready to turn around. When he does, his eyes are shining with a silent fury and his unscarred eye is as red as the other.

"Congratulations," she says in a soft, sad voice, "you're a father. Again."

"More like, congratulations," his voice is necessarily bitter, "you're alone. Again." She reaches her hand up to cup his scarred cheek and he doesn't flinch from her touch. Her fingers run over the worn skin that has smoothed over the years and she can feel the dampness of tears. She knows things are really, really bad if Zuko is crying. She can't imagine how hurt he feels but she feels hurt for him. She aches in an unnatural way; she aches for him like a healer, wanting to fix, and a lover, wanting to soothe.

"You're not alone."

It surprises her and him equally when his fingers wrap around her wrist and pull her hand away and even more so when he starts to walk. His grip is gentle and his hands are surprisingly cold, but she doesn't speak. She doesn't ask anything but follows him down the hallways, careful to keep pace as he turns a corner. Katara recognizes the hallway and the door that he stops to open. It's his bedroom chamber door. She lets him lead her inside and she shuts the door, leaning against the weight. Zuko walks a fair distance away and Katara watches him shiver gently, pulling the ornament and ribbon from his hair. He shakes his hair out loosely before tying it all up into a topknot with the ribbon, the long strands folded in on each other as he fastens it. She wonders whether it's a good idea to be here. They both are older and they are parents and they shouldn't feel this way. But when he turns around and gazes at her, she can't help but smile at the sight of the hair away from his neck and the way his face instantly looks younger.

The words come out before she can stop herself; she takes a step forward to close the distance before she can stop herself.

"Right now?"

Zuko nods, his head tilted down towards hers. Her eyes find his lips parted and she feels his warm hand against her back; everything is startlingly familiar to her in that moment. "Right now." Her head rests against the door as Zuko kisses all of her memories away. In that moment, she is just a woman and he is just a man and they are just in love. She doesn't think about Aang or her children. She doesn't think about Zuko and his wife or his children. All she can focus on is that he's here with her right now, kissing her the way that she used to kiss him, their bodies pressed together. His mouth is warm against her mouth, his body is warm against her body, he is warm and he is making her warm. She is a different woman and he is a different man and she still loves him in that different way. She loves him like the tides on the cliffs.

She wonders how far she will go but the second that his hands slip in between the material of her dress and she feels his warm hands on her skin, she _knows_ how far she will go. She _knows_ that she will give all of herself to him.

Not forever. Just for now.

* * *

Usually, Katara goes to the Fire Nation. Usually. But this time, it is Zuko who comes to her in the South Pole. She doesn't remember how she manages to convince him with her letters, but he is towing his children to the South Pole for his month long vacation. Perhaps the mention of her own children or the mention of Aang's absence or the mention that they both need some friendly company is what brings him, but she doesn't know and won't know it until she sees him.

She waits in the harbor patiently in her blue parka. Standing beside her is Kya, who fidgets and every few moments, shoves a globe of water into Bumi's face. The five-year-old stands next to his sister and splutters every time she tosses water at him, coiling up in rage and kicking her in the shins. The only one missing is Tenzin, whom Aang has taken with him on a trip to the Air Temples. A wide grin spreads across the eldest waterbender's face as a black and red ship pulls in. It isn't large or anything enough to warrant too much attention and she feels like it takes forever for the ship to dock and her friend to exit. She stares impatiently at the ramp off the ship and is starting to resemble Kya, fidgeting and almost beginning to waterbend until she sees them.

A little girl is first, practically flying off of the ship. Katara watches her skid to a stop at the end in a dark red parka, her little face flushed a deep red as she turns to face Katara. She starts sprinting towards the waterbender, the hood of her parka sliding off of her head and her long, dark hair whipping around her in the wind.

"Zora!" Zuko's voice travels unmistakably across the frozen tundra as he steps off of the ship. His parka is the same crimson as his daughter's and a small bundle in his arms is clinging around his neck in a matching ensemble. He walks sternly down the ramp, two Royal Guards dressed in Water Tribe blue colored parkas following behind him quietly. Zora reaches Katara's legs and propels herself against them with a delighted squeal. She speaks in muffles and Katara puts an uncovered hand on the girl's head, brushing her hair back neatly and pulling the hood back over her head.

Katara offers the Fire Lord a bright smile when he reaches his daughter, patting the Fire Princess on the top of her head. Zora turns and Katara can't see her face, but she doesn't need to. "Sorry, Daddy," she tilts her head up, "I was excited." Zuko's face pulls together tightly, and he presses a hand to his face for a moment.

"It's okay, Zora," he relents and she spins on her heel with a grin, "just be careful. Daddy doesn't want you running away like that." She watches the little crimson ball of fur skip off towards where Kya and Bumi are standing. Zuko lets out a sigh and Katara turns her eyes back to him and his other crimson ball of fur.

"How old are all these little igloo lovers?" His voice is lilting with amusement, but his face mirrors that for only a moment. His smile dissipates as he tries to set his son down on his feet but the boy only wails and scrambles up the front of his father's chest.

"I resent that! I am the master of the igloo lovers," Katara punches him in the arm. "Kya is seven now. Bumi is five and Tenzin is one. Which means," she pokes her lips gently as she glanced over to their daughters playing in the snow, "Zora is five. And this little recluse is three." She wiggles her free hand between Zuko's parka and his son's parka. The little boy snaps back and fixes Katara with a familiar scowl, his bright golden eyes the same shade as his father's eyes. "What's your name, hm?"

The little boy frowns and schools his face into a look of impassivity that makes her wonder whether he is an exact clone of the man holding him. His answer only proves her right. "Zuko."

She watches his father plant his hand against his face again. "That's his new thing," he pulls his hand down and looks at him, "he thinks his name is Zuko. You already know Lu Zin. Lu Zin, stop being disrespectful and say hi to Master Katara."

Lu Zin cranes his head to look at Katara. "Hi to Master Katara." This time, Zuko sets the little boy on the ground. He shrieks and tries to climb back up his legs but his father doesn't lift him back up and after a few moments of broody pouting, he storms off to where his sister, Kya, and Bumi are taking turns rolling snow over the faces of their parka.

A puff of air rises to Zuko's lips and Katara can't help the amused look on her face. "They're really good with the snow," she says as she turns to face the children. Lu Zin sidles up to the group, kneeling beside them and placing his gloved palms in the snow. Kya and Zora bury Bumi underneath a pile of snow so that his head of wild brown hair sticks out from the pile. Lu Zin laughs and sprinkles a handful of snow through the boy's scalp. Zuko shifts next to her.

"Surprisingly. I thought Lu Zin would have streaked flames all the way back up the ship when we got here." Katara laughs and turns her gaze to Zuko. He is mostly obscured under his parka, but she can see tufts of black hair escaping from the hood. His eyes are weary but still flickering bright gold as he watches his children become accustomed to the snow. His nose and cheeks are a bright, chilled pink and she tilts her head to the side slightly. She'd never expect him to be the stern, yet loving father figure that he had grown into. He had always seemed so out of reach, but here, standing in front of his children, she could see the pride and love in his eyes. He follows their every movements, his eyes occasionally sparking with concern, but a smile pulling at his lips when it turns out to be nothing. There was something captivating about the way he loves his children and she couldn't tear her eyes away from him in that element. "What?" His tone is defensive and he takes a step back.

She laughs again and straightens herself before holding her palm out to him. "Let me love you right now," she says in a commanding whisper, and she grins in satisfaction when Zuko frees his hand from his glove to take hers. His hands are warm and she suspects it may be to compensate for the cold weather. She leans herself into his body and for that moment, Zuko's children and Katara's children become Zuko and Katara's children; their separate families become a whole family. Kya and Zora and Bumi and Lu Zin are all laughing and playing in the snow, all of their gloves abandoned in the ground. Kya is drawing the water out of the snow, splashing it over Lu Zin's hands, and freezing it back together. The little stubborn firebender tries to melt it and simply stomps around with his hands together until Zora gently places a hand on his and melts it. Bumi watches her in awe before she jokingly shoots a tiny flame in front of his feet, and then he's running in circles again. They all look so happy, like they belong that way, and for some reason, it brings tears to her eyes. It doesn't draw Zuko's attention until she sniffles and he looks at her sorrowfully.

"Katara," there's that hoarse, high-pitched voice again, she laments, "what's wrong?"

Her parka soaks up the tears that reach her jawline and she gazes up at him. She peeks at their distracted children before she leans up to press a chaste kiss to his lips. His lips are warm and inviting and she wants to sit in the perfect moment they have created with their children in the snow. But it burns her deep, the way that frostbite burns even though it is cold. Everything hurts at that moment. She pulls away from him and almost moves completely away, but it hurts so badly that she doesn't know what to do. "I don't like right now," she confesses, winding her arms around his waist as she leans into him, "I wish we could have this forever."

It is silent and she can practically hear Zuko thinking while tears roll down her cheeks. His arms wrap around her body and his head tilts so he can rest it against the top of her parka. He can see their children but Katara can hear them. She can hear Zora's laughter and Kya's shrieking. She hears Lu Zin announce that Fire Lord Zuko has arrived to save Bumi and she hears Bumi's snort and wild cackle of laughter. She can hear the crunching snow and she can practically see their faces, chilled and shining with happiness as they giggle and play in the snow without a care in the world. Zuko's voice brings her out of her reverie.

"We love each other like the tides on the cliffs." Katara sniffles and pulls back to really look at Zuko. His eyes are trained on their children as he speaks to her in a gentle whisper. "You know what that means, right?"

She rolls her eyes. "Of course I do, I said it! But there is no forever—"

"We love each other like the tides on the cliffs," he repeats, and this time she watches him drop his golden gaze down to her face, "and we'll keep loving each other forever. Whether or not," he dipped his head down to kiss her forehead reverently, "_we see it_."

* * *

Katara doesn't have to see his face to know that it's Zuko. His back is to her and two small hands rest against his back as his arms draw up in an embrace. His hair is tied in a half topknot, the black and gray strands falling further past his shoulders than they had before. He turns his face towards her and she can see the outlines of a smile curving against his lips. She can see the unscarred side of his face and for a moment, in her mind, she mirrors it. She has never had a problem with Zuko's scar. After all these years, it is as much a part of his face as his nose and eyes are. But it doesn't stop her from mirroring it and imaging him fully. A beautiful, handsome, breathtaking image of a man that she still finds him to be in more ways than just his appearance. But still, Katara likes to form the mirrored image and just imagine. She likes to think about things that could have been.

Her eyes scan the plaza to find her children. She isn't surprised to see Kya and Bumi sitting side by side, leaning against each other and chatting animatedly with a group of elders and nobles. The dark blends of their brown hair melt together, Bumi's hair more shaggy than the smooth, long hair of his older sister beside him. The faces of the elders and nobles all appear to range from amused, horrified, intrigued, or just plain disgusted. Bumi gestures wildly with his hands, but before he can continue, a taller, paler figure interrupts with a warm smile. He's tall with dark hair and he sits on the other side of her son, hunching over the table to talk to the elders. She manages a laugh at the sight of them and turns to look for her youngest child while winding gray strands of hair over her finger. She spots Tenzin sitting towards a corner of the room with an aloof look shading him. He eats in silence and without looking up until an equally stoic Lin storms over to the table and doesn't say a word as she sits down. Instantly, the two of them break out into smiles and Katara allows her lips to part in surprise at the sight of her youngest child and her best friend's only child enjoying one another's company.

Her mouth falls open further when she hears a voice to her right. "Master Katara!" She practically jumps out of her own skin and turns to the young woman in question, mustering up a smile without cursing or doing anything unseemly.

She scans over the girl's familiar appearance. She has the same sharp cheekbones, thin lips, angular features as someone else, and the wide smile on her face that drifts up towards her eyes and causes her face to glow is as hereditary as her golden eyes. "Fire Lord Zora."

The girl's face breaks out into an even wider grin. "I can't believe it," she says in an excited, bubbly voice, "can you believe it?" She reaches up to tuck a strand of hair away from her face. It's long and dark but the majority of it is restrained in a topknot. Several strands escape into the fringe of her bangs that cover her forehead and frame the sides of her face. She is so much older now, a beautiful woman and now, a ruler. The tailoring of the regal Fire Lord robes suits her womanly curves and it most certainly looks different on her, moreso than it had on Zuko when he wore it. Katara decides that she likes it.

"Dad says that the elders had a fit when he said he was going to name me his successor and not Lu Zin. He's an excellent firebender, too, better than me," she shifts on her feet and glances at Katara almost nervously, "but Dad says that it's about time they let a woman run things around here." At this finishing statement, she returns to a signature smile.

"Your father has gotten smarter and wiser over the years, good for him." It stuns her how much of an adult she is, even moreso when Zora leans in and points to a far table. It's the table where Kya, Bumi, and another young gentleman sit across from several elders and nobles.

"I don't know if you've even met General Iroh, Master Katara."

Katara's eyes skim over the gentleman again. Now that she was thinking about it, he _did_ seem to resemble the royal family, but the absence of a crown or any other deigning piece had cast the thought away. His hair was dark and short, smooth in the front and slightly shaggy in the back. When he turns to address Bumi, she can make out the familiar sharp and angular features as well as the piercing gold that belong to the royal family members. He has a strong resemblance to Lu Zin, other than the fact that the Fire Lord's son is older and has longer hair. His laugh, Katara hears, is loud and raucous and reminiscent of her own son's laugh. It makes sense that they are comrades.

"He's young," she says as she turns back to the Fire Lord, "I didn't know that Zuko..." The waterbender pauses as she studies Zora's face. She has a familiar look on her face as she watches Iroh chatting animatedly with his friends. Katara can't quite place it until she thinks back to all the times she had seen Zora. One in particular springs to the forefront of her mind. Little Zora frolicking and playing in the snows of the South Pole and Zuko standing beside her with unbelievable amounts of pride and love in his eyes. The same look that Zora has in her own pale gold eyes.

Katara feels her face flush as she rests a hand on Zora's shoulder, "Iroh is your son." Her voice is quiet and Zora turns, realizing that Katara really hadn't known, and nods mutely. The two women stand side by side and Katara watches the older, mature version of Zora sink in beside her. She watches Iroh protectively, smiling until the Water Tribe woman speaks up again. "He's got a lot to be proud of." Zora nods at her words solemnly before something else catches her eye.

"Lu Zin!" She calls, before whipping around to the waterbender, "thank you, Master Katara! Thank you." And the female Fire Lord slips into the crowd after a retreating, dark haired figure walking away from her briskly. When she catches up with him, her arms are thrown over the back of his shoulders and she can see them laughing at each other.

She watches the siblings disappear into the crowd with a sigh before she moves from her spot. The Coronation Plaza is beautiful, but it is open and gives her no place to hide. She moves from the crowds and secludes herself as far away as possible, but of course, it's never far away enough. She spots Zuko a few feet away, no longer mingling with guests but off to himself.

"You should be out there telling people how proud you are of her." She can see him stiffen but he doesn't turn. She doesn't force him to. She doesn't even turn to face him. Instead, she reaches out to touch his hair, sifting the black and gray strands through her fingers. She feels him start to relax and she speaks up again. "Zora and Lu Zin…they're beautiful, wonderful children. Adults, even," she laughs wryly, "you made them that way. And Iroh..." She punches him lightly. "Why didn't you tell me you had a grandson, Zuko? I've told you about Tenzin's children!"

"I don't know," he says honestly, "I got caught up. Zora was younger than Tenzin when she was pregnant and I was helping her take care of him. He's a smart kid and a fantastic firebender. When he was old enough, he enlisted in the United Forces. Like Bumi." There is a slight detachment in his voice and she knows that memories of his uncle and cousin are rising to the surface. "But Zora," he snorts, "she takes after her mother." She didn't have to see him roll his eyes but she knew he did. "Thankfully. She doesn't need to take after her brooding, misguided father. I'm glad that Lu Zin grew out of that phase of wanting to be me."

When he turns around, she lets her hands fall from his hair, but they slide over his shoulders comfortingly. Her eyes, however, are darkened with frustration. Her nose crinkles and she has half a mind to punch him in the chest. "Zuko, don't you dare start," her eyes cast a warning to him. She knows how self-depreciating he can be, and despite the fact that it hadn't surfaced for a long time, she knew periods of time like this always caused it to swim to the surface. "Zora is your daughter. You raised her and you helped her grow into the woman that the Fire Sages crowned today. A woman who is going to have no issues 'running things around here' according to the former Fire Lord." A smile wavered across his lips at the familiar words. "And Lu Zin is an intelligent, wonderful young boy. There's nothing wrong with the fact that he wanted to be like his father, a Fire Lord who will go down in history for heroics and ushering in an era of peace to his nation. You're a really, really great father."

He stays silent and Katara doesn't push him into speaking. When he does, it isn't about her heartfelt words. "They had a royal _fit_," he says with a slight smirk, "they wanted me to name Lu Zin because he's the male heir. I reminded them of the last two times they had tried to crown a younger sibling as the Fire Lord and they pretty much stopped." Katara laughed at the surprising image of Zuko's snarky retort to the Fire Sages. Both Ozai and Azula would have continued the damage to the Fire Nation that Zuko had patiently rebuilt over the years. Now that things seemed to be settling, his daughter being in power would be the next step of transition in the world.

"She's a really wonderful girl. A little bubbly, in a Ty Lee kind of way," Katara adds and watches as Zuko slaps his hand against his face.

"She is wonderful…and bubbly, and giggly, and really, really hyperactive. Or at least she used to be." He folds his arms across his chest. "She reminds me so much of my mother sometimes. I guess it's a weakness. When she had Iroh...I didn't think my life could get any better. Her and Lu Zin and Iroh in the palace just gave me so much joy. I still can't believe all _three_ of them have grown up. Zora is the Fire Lord. Lu Zin is a prodigal, imperial firebender. And Iroh is a General...just like Uncle. Can you believe it?" His voice slows to a gentle tone, the familiar phrase causing Katara to grin. Zuko gives her a puzzled stare before he looks up at her, offering her a hand.

"Right now?" He asks, his eyes hesitant as he makes eye contact.

Katara studies his face for a moment before smiling widely. "Right now." She takes his hand into hers and leans up to plant a kiss against his cheek. She doesn't worry about anyone seeing them anymore as they walk hand in hand back to the palace, the sounds of the coronation floating through the air. She shifts her fingers so they are interwoven with his and despite the two of them being so much older now, Katara doesn't doubt that the feelings between them have faded.

She can see with a greater certainty that they have changed and affected each other in numerous ways. It's an undeniable truth that when anyone looks at Katara, the woman that she has become today is because of the way Zuko has loved her. And she knows, with equal certainty, that they will always love each other like the tides on the cliffs, and that kind of love doesn't need forever.

It is _beyond_ forever.

* * *

**notes:** there will be a drabble series in this universe called **the tides and the cliffs**. i have no solid idea as to when i will be able to post it up, but be on the look out.


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